The Gurren Lagann Thread.

[miriya]

Ohhhhhh!!!

Look what good smile company will be offering us in April! I love this sculpt. I did not get the resin kit but I will get this for SURE!

http://www.goodsmile.info/detail/jpn/2266/...C%E3%82%B3.html

[eugimon]

I thought that the old yoko on the bike was quite good but I much prefer young yoko.

[mr.chogokin]

Ohhhhhh!!!

Look what good smile company will be offering us in April! I love this sculpt. I did not get the resin kit but I will get this for SURE!

http://www.goodsmile.info/detail/jpn/2266/...C%E3%82%B3.html

The face is lovely! The body is a little stunted and her boobs are not at their usual optimum perkiness. What to do, what to do???

[VFTF1]

That Good Smily Yoko is gorgeous. The biker Yoko is terrible.

Good Smily for the win!

Pete

[wolfx]

I prefer my yoko figures with a big gun....for obvious and not so obvious reasons.

[Radd]

I rather liked her in-between character design, with the jacket.

[VFTF1]

Just a quick note - but that goregeous Yoko who's doing her hair seems to be from a company called Gift - or is that not a company but just some kind of sub-heading or series from Good Smily?

EDIT:

Just watched my first episode of TTGL - episode 6...what have you punks/bastards got us into?

Impressions:

WOW! What a craaaazy zany funny fast paced wacko anime And what shoddy animation at episode 6 already Gainax seems to have made "NGE low budget version" into a policy?

But actually - I shouldn't complain. At times the animation is a bit rough; at times it's just "too fast" - but either way it's fun

Lots of fan service with yoko, but that guy being naked throughout the majority of the episode was hilarious as well

A very very wierd mixture of "realism" with "fantasy" with...excess...

My first impression can basically be summed up as:

Yoko is hot - so I'll keep watching

Pete

Edited December 22, 2008 by VFTF1

[miriya]

Pete you have to watch it all, all the way through, in order, starting with episode one. It is well worth it.

Right now Gurren Lagann and Evangelion are rocking my world.

[VFTF1]

I will be doing just that. Am also starting a Gurren Lagann collection

Hopefully I'll have watched episodes 1 and 2 by tomorrow, and then onward - consecutively. I just watched 6 because I couldn't find 1-5 and wanted to get a flavor for it. I think I was lucky given that half of six is a recap of 1-5 - which normally would have probably bored me - but this way I actually ended up benefiting from the recap.

I also LOVED the fact that Asuka and Rei are now playboy bunnies working at the Beastmen's Spa

Anyways - yeah - just finished NGE today and am going to make Gurren Lagenn my next "too watch" anime - from start to finish.

I was hoping to finally get around to Ideon - but if there's modern good stuff coming out - and there is - I figure I best be on top of things - and Gurren Lagann looked like it would be good.

Pete

[nugundamII]

WTF WTF

WHHHHAAAAAAATTTTT THE F**&&^.............. Movies!!!!

when where and how much and how many!!!!!

LOVE THIS ANIME!

Where can I download the soundtrack! ie " Fight the Power"

[jwinges]

Ok. Did anybody else ever receive their Revoltech Enki? I've had it on preorder for like forever and it doesn't look to be coming out anytime soon.

[miriya]

Good question. And how about Fraulein Yoko?!?!?!?!

[miriya]

Where can I download the soundtrack! ie " Fight the Power"

Isnt that Public enemy?

[miriya]

Sorry for all the posts but This Yomako figure is gorgeous! I am going to get one....

http://hlj.com/product/ALT20205

[UN Spacy]

I've had Enki and Fraulein Yoko for weeks.

It pays to keep track of HLJ.com's early bird specials.

[jwinges]

I've had Enki and Fraulein Yoko for weeks.

It pays to keep track of HLJ.com's early bird specials.

fraulin Yoko I have Enki I don't. I've about had it with BBTS (who I ordered Enki from). Going to stick with HLJ from now on. They can't even tell a person when they will be in. Dang I'm pi$%T off.

Nice looking Teacher Yoko.

The Gurren Lagann OST's are available on ISOhunt.

[Keith]

I will be doing just that. Am also starting a Gurren Lagann collection

Hopefully I'll have watched episodes 1 and 2 by tomorrow, and then onward - consecutively. I just watched 6 because I couldn't find 1-5 and wanted to get a flavor for it. I think I was lucky given that half of six is a recap of 1-5 - which normally would have probably bored me - but this way I actually ended up benefiting from the recap.

I also LOVED the fact that Asuka and Rei are now playboy bunnies working at the Beastmen's Spa

Anyways - yeah - just finished NGE today and am going to make Gurren Lagenn my next "too watch" anime - from start to finish.

I was hoping to finally get around to Ideon - but if there's modern good stuff coming out - and there is - I figure I best be on top of things - and Gurren Lagann looked like it would be good.

Pete

If you're going to start up a Gainax collection proper, then you need to track down a copy of the Gunbuster box set before it dissapears of the planet, Wings of Honneamise is a little pricey but well worth it, Nadia is well worth it, and Prototype Eva. But before any of that, hop on over to youtube, and look up the Daicon III & IV clips.

[wolfx]

I also LOVED the fact that Asuka and Rei are now playboy bunnies working at the Beastmen's Spa

Pete

THere's also Nono from Diebuster, and Mahoro-san from Mahoromatic.

[miriya]

I cant believe that I just preordered this $92 before shipping...

http://www.hlj.com/product/GIF82006

But at 1/5 scale that should be decently sized right?

Anyway I really like this sculpt/pose.

[VFTF1]

If you're going to start up a Gainax collection proper, then you need to track down a copy of the Gunbuster box set before it dissapears of the planet, Wings of Honneamise is a little pricey but well worth it, Nadia is well worth it, and Prototype Eva. But before any of that, hop on over to youtube, and look up the Daicon III & IV clips.

No no...I meant a Gurren Lagann FIGURE collection Models and Revoltechs and stuff like that

As for Yoko and Enki - I also have both.

Amd just now finishing getting episode 1 of Toppa Tenga... I kind went wierdo backwards and have 2 now - but will watch first 1 and then 2 and onward from there

Pete

[m0n5t3r]

No no...I meant a Gurren Lagann FIGURE collection Models and Revoltechs and stuff like that

As for Yoko and Enki - I also have both.

Amd just now finishing getting episode 1 of Toppa Tenga... I kind went wierdo backwards and have 2 now - but will watch first 1 and then 2 and onward from there

Pete

you gotta watch it now!

you gotta get this -

it's one helluva handsome figure.

[VFTF1]

I'm probably gonna get the Kotobukidfigjsdfiogjfsdiog gffffffffffff can never remember how to spell that company's name...Koo...kkoo...rerrr...

The models The snap fit models

Anyways - I couldn't resist, and even though I still don't have episode 1...I watched episode 2 anyways

MUCH BETTER than episode 6 which was veeerrry childish and sorta hectic.

This one actually had a very good story ark from beginning to end - with the ending explcitly tying back into the beginning in a big way.

I love the dynamic between Simon and his big brother. And I like how big brother Kamina always tries to give Simon confidence - Kamina WOULD be just a loud mouth jerk off poser if not for three facts:

1) He's very compassionate and takes care of his brother - but not just in the sense of "stay here little boy I'll protect you" - but rather - in the sense that a big brother should: he provides guidance and teaching and tries to help Simon become a man.

2) He's intelligent. He tells Simon not to go rushing into a fight. Often times, he "seems" to be going berserk, but in fact he thinks out his actions and his tough words are more along the lines of psychological warfare than insanity.

3) He has ambitions and is clearly a thoughtful person (although it's not quite clear what he's thinking about when he shrugs at death and tells Yoko that people are destined for more)...

So - all of these traits make him likeable.

As for Yoko - well - it's hard to not like her Or rather - hard if you like her; hard if you don't

Finally - that Ron guy is just so hilariously animated

Sorry - don't mean to inflict the ire of Agent One or anything of the sort - but Ron is not only explicitly homosexual, but in fact it is obvious that the animators went to outlandish lengths to think up an entire new animation style with which to underscore this point. The elastic fingers is case in point here - I'm not talking about the character design; which is actually pretty simlistic and a bit too flamboyant (Bobby would soooo say that Ron has bad taste!) - I'm talking about he actual movements of the character as opposed to the movements of other characters. Top marks for the animators for their gay animation

One thing I don't like and don't get is why none of the people seem to be wondering at WHY the Beastmen attack the humans. Why are they fighting?

In this sense - the show is kind of like a video game where you're not supposed to wonder that and instead just bust up the baddies - and hopefully be cute while doing it.

But nevertheless - I'm surprised that for all of their worldly knowledge (calmly eating breakfast and drinking coffee as Gunmen stomp around up on the surface), Yoko's ...err...tribe?...village? ...people? ... haven't the faintest clue or even interest in who the Beastmen are and why they do what they do?

What's more - the Beastmen seem to know pretty well who the humans are and seem to authentically NOT LIKE them. In fact; the Beastmen also seem to be fully sentient (so we can rule out the "they attack because they're beasts!" theory).

So - this kind of bugs me.

In fact, the only thing which makes me distinguish between good and evil in this anime is that good has a great body and bouncy breasts

Pete

[miriya]

just stick with it.

[VFTF1]

Fear not Miriya

I just watched episode 1 now and it was the best of the three I've seen so far - had a very very epic feel to it - the conflict between Kamina and the Chief was well done, and I am always a big fan of seeing the politics of a society that is grappling with being closed off and how religions form around this... so - was a great episode. Yoko's appearance was a bit random - and it seems that it's never really explained in episode 2 why she of all people fell into their village with the Gunman - but - then again - one of the stupid things about being such a nerdy fellow is that I'm always looking for "explanations" when "accidents" by nature are things which have none So yeah - a hot chick fell into their lives because sometimes hot chicks do that - which is actually true.

But overall - the animation in episodes 1 and 2 was very good compared to 6. Definitely sticking with it.

Pete

[wolfx]

One thing I don't like and don't get is why none of the people seem to be wondering at WHY the Beastmen attack the humans. Why are they fighting?

In this sense - the show is kind of like a video game where you're not supposed to wonder that and instead just bust up the baddies - and hopefully be cute while doing it.

But nevertheless - I'm surprised that for all of their worldly knowledge (calmly eating breakfast and drinking coffee as Gunmen stomp around up on the surface), Yoko's ...err...tribe?...village? ...people? ... haven't the faintest clue or even interest in who the Beastmen are and why they do what they do?

What's more - the Beastmen seem to know pretty well who the humans are and seem to authentically NOT LIKE them. In fact; the Beastmen also seem to be fully sentient (so we can rule out the "they attack because they're beasts!" theory).

So - this kind of bugs me.

Pete

Cuz humans have degenerated into small tribes living underground for generations and constantly being oppressed by beastmen that its understood "beastmen bad.....outside bad". Don't go out or you die. You don't really need to question why a bear, tiger or shark attacks you if you walk into their territory. You just know to STAY AWAY from them.

Anyway your questions will be answered later in the series.

I just watched episode 1 now and it was the best of the three I've seen so far - had a very very epic feel to it - the conflict between Kamina and the Chief was well done, and I am always a big fan of seeing the politics of a society that is grappling with being closed off and how religions form around this... so - was a great episode. Yoko's appearance was a bit random - and it seems that it's never really explained in episode 2 why she of all people fell into their village with the Gunman - but - then again - one of the stupid things about being such a nerdy fellow is that I'm always looking for "explanations" when "accidents" by nature are things which have none So yeah - a hot chick fell into their lives because sometimes hot chicks do that - which is actually true.

Cuz she was hunting the gunman topside but it fell into Simoun's village and she came down chasing it? I thought she mentioned it in eps 1 or 2. She's part of a special team that hunts Gunman.

[VFTF1]

You don't really need to question why a bear, tiger or shark attacks you if you walk into their territory. You just know to STAY AWAY from them.

Or, failing that, you can get into your custom VF-Kai and go sing to them

Cuz she was hunting the gunman topside but it fell into Simoun's village and she came down chasing it? I thought she mentioned it in eps 1 or 2. She's part of a special team that hunts Gunman.

She probably did mention it; but it's very difficult to focus on anything she has to say

Pete

[wolfx]

She probably did mention it; but it's very difficult to focus on anything she has to say

Pete

Well then that's your fault though I don't really blame you. Our drills point to the heavens in salute of her.

[miriya]

Our drills point to the heavens in salute of her.

QFT!

I really love this show and am glad that I am watching it in Japanese with subtitles but I will watch it again when the Dubs come out so that I can Gawk more at Yoko and pay more attention to the anime visually.

[VFTF1]

Personally I can't stand dubs - but that might be because I just can't stand Macross Plus dubbed - which is unfortunately what I have. The voice acting is just all around too mellow. Every character sounds the same - namely as if they were reading for ESL students or something - it's all unemtional slow mo...

Maybe not all dubs are like this - but I just generally prefer watching movies in the original language. This doesn't just go for anime but for other films as well. Subtitles FTW

Pete

[Scrapnasty]

I honestly found the GL dubs to be very well done. Kamina's VA took some time to squeeze into the role but he managed to get out the insane moments when needed. Simon's did a fantastic job and everybody loved Bloom as Ron. Subs are nice but I seem to process information better when spoken instead of reading. After watching it twice in Japanese and once in english, I caught some stuff that I missed the first time. Also it is nice to be able to focus on the amazing animation work during fight sequences instead of having my eyes buried in text.

[Keith]

Personally I can't stand dubs - but that might be because I just can't stand Macross Plus dubbed - which is unfortunately what I have. The voice acting is just all around too mellow. Every character sounds the same - namely as if they were reading for ESL students or something - it's all unemtional slow mo...

Maybe not all dubs are like this - but I just generally prefer watching movies in the original language. This doesn't just go for anime but for other films as well. Subtitles FTW

Pete

Nope, all dubs are that bad, if not significantly worse. Besides which, watching Gurren Lagann dubbed makes the anti-spirals win!

[VFTF1]

Got done watching episode 3 yesterday. Very nice opening three episode ark which sets about introducing everyone and everything and it's cute the way Yoko leaves. Cute and also telling. Kamina and Simon's village chief commanded authority by way of screaming, yelling and threatening people. However, Yoko is loyal to her tribe/village and at the same time female shame seems to preclude her asking for permission to leave. It's interesting that they need the permission because there doesn't seem to be a set of laws anywhere - so - it seems that the character of the villagers is the law of the village. Kamina's fellow villagers were cowards (look how his Gurren Laggen Brigade partners reacted - they all sold him out in five seconds), while Yoko's village is full of upright people.

This is, of course, kind of an over-simplification - but then again not really. Plenty of real world examples of people without backbones allowing themselves to be ruled by thugs and other examples of imperfect but generally honorable people in other villages...soo...I guess it's not a stretch.

Still - it was nice to see that Ron was the one who was like "I'm going with you!" instead of Yoko And I loved Kamina's line to her when she did join: "If that fat a$$ of yours slows us down, we're leaving you behind!"

But better still is that Yoko takes stuff like that in stride. I...umm...can't remember what she said...again...dag...I seriously have trouble listening to her...but it was wonerful anyways for sure

Final note - some people earlier mentioned how this series reminds them of Getter Robo - I haven't seen Getter Robo; except for the ending to the first episode where they defeat the monster, save the girl and immediately get attacked by three more.

But this series reminds me of something else - namely Dancouga. In Dancouga - it was the emotional rage of the pilots which powered up the mecha - kind of like Kamina's fighting spirit and Simon's rage power up the Gurren and Lagenn.

However - about Simon - he seems to be a little Shinji-esque. Shy, unsure of his own worth, and then able to fly into a mad rage when necessary - although - to be fair, he's not quite the same because Shinji's entire problem was rooted in the relation to his father, while Simon's problem is not so complex. Simon's just young and somewhat frightened but has a good heart in the end...

As for Yoko - why is she being so nice to Simon - in the sense of coming on to him? But then she suddenly gets peeved that Kamina asks Simon to come hunting with them? Or is she NOT coming on to Simon?

In any case - I hope this develops into a love triangle

Pete

[VFTF1]

Sorry for the double post, but I wanted to share my thoughts on Episode 4, and add one other comment regarding episode 3:

Re: Episode 3 -

Something I had wanted to note, but forgot to write, was the Vinel(?( [The Enki pilot] at one point in the battle noted that he couldn't believe that he had to draw his swords in order to fight such an insignificant foe as a human. This could have just been an off hand remark - but I kind of interpretted it to mean that usually he is off fighting something more menacing than humans?

So - I wonder - could it be that for the Beastmen - the humans are just a petty nuissance and that they are busy fighting something/someone else - far more menacing?

....

And now - Episode 4:

I loved the disclaimer "We are not responsible for the animation in this episode"

Was THIS the 'famous' episode for which that one guy resigned from Gainax for flaming the fans?

Personally - I loved the animation - the close ups and raw lines were a breath of fresh air. In fact, this entire anime seems to be very expressive, and very bold insofar as it is will to mix so many animation styles and elements. I mean - just look at the silly animals that Yoko and Kamina hunted in episode 3... those things "don't belong" in a giant mecha anime - but there they are.

But anyways...back to episode 4... I thought that the "training" of Simon and his "revelation" about what it really meant to combine was a bit forced. I didn't really get it, and for that reason, didn't really like it.

The sisters were interesting - and now I realize that it was they who stumbled into the Beastmen's Sauna in episode 6...

But as usual - the show belonged to Yoko. Her fast thinking and fast actions saved Kamina and Simon - not the first time. She seems to be the only one who combines common sense with bravado. Kamina just comes across as insane - and his penchant for sustaining bleeding head wounded probably doesn't help with his mental stability. He lives like his father and tuants death - but he's gonna get it one of these days. It's a noble sentiment - but it's also stupid because he's a stand up guy and by risking his life so frivolously, he's not taking into account how much his eventual death or dismemberment might hurt Simon, Yoko and anyone else he meets - after all, the death of a friend is sad. Kamina didn't learn the right lessons from finding his father's remains...

Er - but yeah - Yoko. She's one tough, smart cookie.

Also - I've been thinking - Kamina mentioned her "nice body" and I started wondering whether the implication here is that she doesn't have as nice a face?

This isn't just a flipant remark, but rather, given the importance of faces in this anime, it should be noted that Yoko's is not distinct. It's not an ugly face by any means - she's a very attractive woman - but it is true that he face seems to be the last thing you tend to notice about her. She's one of those girls who strikes you with everythin but the face, which you see only at the end.

Of course, since that is where the humanity is (in the face), this could be bad for Yoko because no one will see the "real her" but only her boobs. On the other hand, if she's smart, it'll also mean that because no one looks at her face, but only her boobs, then she'll be able to shoot or manipulate at will.

However - on that note - what do the faces on the Gunmen and the Lagenn represent? Is there any significance to them? There must be some reason all the mecha have faces?

Episode 05 is next...

Pete

[VFTF1]

I...just...watched...episode...8....

Pete

[wolfx]

You wuss. Get over it. XD